Leeds United 1-0 Southampton: You've seen Firpo
It was like watching one of those movies where you see things from the ghost's point of view, waving their arms and passing their hands through people who don't know that they're there.
Before playing each other at Elland Road Leeds United and Southampton, 19th and 20th in the Premier League, each announced sorely needed new managers. After caretaking a 1-0 win over Chelsea in quiet enough style to ward off the ghosts of Nathan Jones and Jesse Marsch simultaneously, Ruben Selles was promoted into the job full-time and Saints fans arriving in Yorkshire were singing his name out loud. Leeds fans, awaiting their first glimpses of Javi Gracia on the touchline, were being more circumspect. Adoration is hard won in Yorkshire, where the least impressive thing you can make is an impression. While Southampton fans began convinced, Leeds fans were tense.
In the end, Leeds took the shine off Selles and invited the travelling Saints to take a backwards glance at the day's hero on their way back to the docks. Not Gracia, though. "You've seen Firpo," the South Stand sang, "Now fuck off home."
In a league dominated by storylines about managers and their employment, it was a welcome surprise when Elland Road turned not to the touchline, but the pitch. After full-time Junior Firpo, misfit left-back and butt of the internet, had the south half of it to himself while his teammates celebrated the game his goal had won nearer the passing roar of the M621. The South Stand is by no means the quieter end, but it's where Junior was seeking out his friends in the crowd, flashing them a heart sign before pumping his fists three times with the thousands there cheering him. A Leeds player or a Leeds manager gets to do this from time to time. Steve Evans used to do it after a score draw. Jesse Marsch did a triumphant lap once after losing 4-0. Junior Firpo has had to earn the right, and we've had to wait a long time for him.
Firpo has been bad when he's played since joining from Barcelona, but he also hasn't played enough to turn his reputation around. Games here and games there have been hamstrung by early yellow cards and hamstrung by his hamstrings. This season, after a bright start in the friendlies, was supposed to be Firpo's to start again. But he was injured immediately and has had to sit the season out, powerless against his own meme.
Until now. There's no reason to get carried away, but even before his goal made him the hero, Firpo was playing well against Southampton. He played well in the last game, at Everton. He was good in the game before that, and a couple before that one too. It's becoming a theme.
Whether Firpo is playing well through the changes of coach, the change of defender to his right, the addition of a traditionally positioned winger to help him, or just the mysterious click that puts a footballer into his best form sometimes, isn't clear and isn't important. What matters is Firpo playing well, helping the team play well, and grabbing a win that can help everybody at Leeds do better. There's an FA Cup game in West London in midweek and a Premier League game there next weekend. The fixture list will limit Javi Gracia's time to work with his new squad. But the better mood after a first league win since November should give Leeds a better impetus for their business.
There's a lot of work to do. For his first game Gracia moved Wilf Gnonto and Jackie Harrison to the touchlines, put Brenden Aaronson close to Pat Bamford in attack, directed a more cautious press and allowed more patience in possession. Then he let the players grind it out against a terrible Southampton team, whose big new striker Paul Onuachu had a foot or something clearance over Robin Koch but couldn't get near the ball.